UMC First Foundry in Taiwan to Receive ISO 15408-EAL6 Certification (Jan. 12, 2015)
UMC today announced that its Fab 12A has obtained ISO 15408-EAL6 certification issued by the German Government’s Federal Office for IT Security (BSI), making UMC the first foundry in Taiwan to provide IC manufacturing services that comply with the ISO 15408 Common Criteria.

SMIC's Shenzhen Fab Goes into Operation (Dec. 17, 2014)
SMIC announced today it has begun operations at its Shenzhen 200mm wafer fab. This fab is the first 8-inch production line to be put into operation in Southern China, and is also the first domestic IC production line to be launched after the 'National Outline of Promoting the Development of IC Industry' was issued this year.

TSMC 16FinFET Plus Process Achieves Risk Production Milestone (Nov. 12, 2014)
TSMC today announced its 16-nanometer FinFET Plus (16FF+) process is now in risk production. This enhanced version of TSMC’s 16FF process operates 40% faster than the company’s planar 20-nanometer system-on-chip (20SoC) process, or consumes 50% less power at the same speed.

SMIC and ASML Sign a Volume Purchase Agreement Worth 450 Million Euros (Oct. 27, 2014)
SMIC and ASML announce the signing of a volume purchase agreement (VPA) that will provide SMIC with lithography systems from ASML. The VPA which is worth approximately 450 million Euros and is part of a strategic partnership between the companies that will help facilitate the timely expansion of SMIC's advanced technology capacities.

TSMC 28HPC Process in Volume Production (Sep. 12, 2014)
TSMC today announced its 28-nanometer High Performance Compact (28HPC) process is in volume production, making it the most power- and cost-efficient solution among all 28-nanometer technologies in the foundry segment.

UMC Joins Fujitsu's New Foundry Company (Aug. 29, 2014)
UMC and Fujitsu Semiconductor today announced an agreement for UMC to become a minority shareholder of a newly formed subsidiary of Fujitsu Semiconductor that will include its 300mm wafer manufacturing facility located in Kuwana, Mie, Japan. UMC’s advanced 40nm technology will be also licensed to Fujitsu Semiconductor.